Ethan Koch
Introduction My full name is Samuel Ethan Koch, but I go by my middle name. My name is Hebrew and means “solid, enduring.” I was born in the small town of Satanta, Kan., on November 7, 1992. My family lived in Kansas for my first year, and then we moved to the Oklahoma Panhandle. Most of my life would be spent in the Panhandle, particularly in Hardesty , a town of 250 people. From kindergarten, I attended Hardesty Public Schools. When my family left Hardesty my sophomore, year, Hardesty was the fourth smallest school in Oklahoma and I had four other students in my class. My father, a police officer, took a job in Waynoka, Okla ., and we moved in the summer of 2009. It was in Waynoka where I met Emily, my wife. I stayed in Waynoka until I graduated in 2011 as valedictorian. I currently study at the University of Oklahoma as a broadcast journalism major. On December 20, 2013, I married Emily in Waynoka at Generations Church. I will graduate in 2015 with hopes of breaking through in radio as a play-by-play sports broadcaster or a sports talk show host. "Koch" Origins The Koch name originates from Germany and translates to “cook,” which is the American pronunciation of my name. In medieval times, a cook was a position of status. This person would serve as the “head chief,” or the person in charge of cooking in the noble houses or monasteries. Later, the term shifted to the “village cook,” for only a few houses kitchens or cooking facilities. Food had to be taken to a central heating source in which the “cook” took charge of the final product. Immediate Family My immediate family includes my mother, Molly Koch, and my father, David Guy Koch. My parents currently live in Arapaho, where they consider home. For most of my life, my mom worked as a self-contracted truck driver who hauled mail for the United States Postal Service. My mom would wake up at 4 a.m. six days a week and travel to Liberal, Kan., to gather mail for six towns in the Panhandle. In the afternoon, she would go to those towns, collect the mail, and send it to Liberal. My father moved to the Oklahoma panhandle from Arapaho, Okla., from the late 1980s to work in field lots in the cattle industry. During my lifetime, my dad was a police officer in Hardesty and Waynoka until 2010 after medical reasons forced him to resign. I have three sisters, Mandie Bryant, Tara Johnson, and Shawnna Northern. Tara lives in Tyrone, Okla., in the Panhandle with her husband, Jason, and two children. Mandie lives in Shawnee, Okla., with her husband, Jason, and four children. Shawnna lives in McAlester, Okla., with her husband, Steven, and four children. Shuck Family My mom was born on January 13, 1957, in Liberal, Kan., as Molly Rene Shuck. She has two sisters, Evelyn Dixon and Sammie Burch. She grew up in Southwest Kansas and Southeast Colorado when she was younger. She was a farmer in Moscow, Kan., when she met my father. My grandfather Ervin came from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He served during World War II at 17 for the United States Navy and then became a United States citizen. Mom’s family is mainly English with much of Mom’s ancestors originating or living in Canada. Iona Shuck (Myrick), my grandma, came from Missouri. After talking about this for years with my mom and trying to find information online, we haven’t determined where my grandma’s family originated from. Koch Family My father was born on July 21, 1959, in Clinton, Okla., about 90 miles away from Oklahoma City. He has three siblings, Connie Harris, Boyd Koch, and Fern Riley. He has an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kan. From enlisting in the Army in 1980 to working in construction, from working in the cattle industry to being a police officer, my dad has had many titles. Dad’s family is true “outdoorsmen” to the core. My great-great-great-great grandfather August Koch, an immigrant from Prussia, immigrated to Wisconsin to become American farmers. Shortly after farming in Wisconsin, many of the Koch family members moved to Minnesota to do the same. My great-great grandfather August Henry Koch died in a tragic factory accident in 1907, four months before my great grandfather, Louis Koch, was born. August Henry Koch’s widow, Martha Louise Stoltz, would marry Herman Daniel Kaiser, another German native, and they would live in Weatherford, Okla., 20 miles east of Clinton. Louis and his son Eldon would trap and farm for most of their lives. The two of them, along with my dad and uncle, would raise hunting hounds for most of their lives. Most of my outdoor living of hunting and fishing comes from this side of the family. Louis would work in President’s Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal Program called Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression, while my grandpa Eldon worked in a local bakery. Gender Roles/Race In doing this assignment, I really didn’t find true “gender roles.” My family doesn’t follow the traditional “women-work-in-the-home” stereotype. While my grandma, Lola Koch, mainly worked as a baby-sitter, many of the women in my family have worked in field with men. Men would mainly work in the field, but so would women. As for race, my family is tolerating of other ethnic groups and cultures. My father believes racism is still a problem, but world-wide problem, not a “white person” problem. Growing up in the Oklahoma Panhandle, I interacted with many people of Hispanic descent. Most of my friends are Mexicans to this day, but my family did see racial tensions between white people and Hispanics, especially with my dad working in law enforcement. We saw firsthand how different cultures can clash. Many of the white people were for no amnesty for illegal immigrants, while the Hispanics wanted full amnesty. The white people in town wanted a quiet neighborhood, while many of Mexican friends turned the music up loudly. Hispanic culture rubbed off on me. I used to talk with a thicker accent, and I get much of my work ethic from the people of the Panhandle, the Mexicans. Conclusion After doing this assignment and taking this class, I understand where I stand in class and in race. I am a lower-class white male earning every penny I can. I am shaped by Hispanic culture and crafted by the Gospel. I easily absorb my surroundings. For instance, my parents are right-wing to the bone, but I’ve become more moderate because of my time in college. Most of my family doesn’t have an education past high school, so I’m already breaking away from the mold of my family. My family has always placed an emphasis on working hard and working right away, but I’m trying to reach for more, and my family understands that. Category:Students